Fort Weyr

This “lesson” actually comprises an overview of what many, many strapmaking lessons will look like during the next several IC months. Only a few sessions will actually involve the weyrling staff instructing weyrlings in a large group. Most will actually consist of an instructor taking a few aside in small groups, reviewing the work they’ve done and assigning new projects.

Strapmaking is a many-step process. Thankfully, there’s experts in curing, tanning and softening leather to do most of the specialty work. Likewise, the sheepskin provided to line your later set of straps will be pretty much ready to work with – but you won’t be seeing that for a few months yet!

This first set of straps serves two functions: first, to give you the skills necessary to make your own straps; second, to have something to help you stick to the dragon when you start groundriding next month.

Some of the first tasks you’ll be set to will just get you accustomed to working with leather while teaching you the ‘anatomy’ of riding straps. You’ll begin with oiling and treating old straps and scrap leather; these skills will prove necessary for the care of straps you’ll use for the rest of your life!

The rest of the leather is brought in already cut into strips of appropriate widths (it takes a variety to make a full set). Brass buckles are also provided, as is the fine leather thong used for most of the stitching and the heavy-duty thread used where the thong is too coarse. You’ll learn how straps are constructed, how to sew leather, and although you won’t be troubled to line this set of straps with sheepskin, you’ll all get a lesson on how that’s done to prepare you for the next set you’ll be making. You’ll also learn to punch holes in the leather. You’ll be making this first set of straps quite a bit too big so your lifemates can grow into them. Punching new holes to expand the fit of the straps – like a man ‘expanding’ his belt to fit his growing waistline – will be, for some of you, a weekly exercise!

There are several known configurations of riding straps and while you might eventually have a favorite, none is ‘the one right way to make straps.’ A strapping young bronze fighting in the forward part of a Threadfighting formation may need a different sort of straps than a slender, aging blue handling watchduty at the Weyr. Furthermore, your dragons aren’t fully grown yet. For most of them, you’ll be making a very simplistic set of straps.

Since humans are generally easier to fit than dragons, most of you will just be handed old riding harnesses out of the Weyr’s stores. However, it is possible your riding harness may need a new hole or two punched to fit you perfectly. The riding harness consists of a belt and straps that wrap your thighs, so that in flight the rider can’t easily slip free (think rock-climbing harness).

Barring unforeseen circumstances, you’ll have this first set of straps done before the dragons begin flying next RL week. That means you have about 2 IC months to work on them, so it isn’t something you’ll necessarily be doing daily. The extra time also allows for the natural failures of a first effort: a lot of you will probably foul up some straps and have to start over. However, because straps are the first obvious progress weyrling pairs make toward flying together as dragon and rider, many weyrlings (and their dragons) become understandably excited about it.

From istaweyr.com, used by permission.